


Snowdrifts

by keelywolfe



Series: Drifters 'verse [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Babybones (Undertale), Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Medical Experimentation, Parenthood, Rescued Child - Freeform, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Papyrus/Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:55:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29445915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keelywolfe/pseuds/keelywolfe
Summary: Shorts set in the 'Drifters' universe.
Relationships: Papyrus/Papyrus (Undertale)
Series: Drifters 'verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162889
Comments: 143
Kudos: 127





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I couldn't leave it at that, could I?

* * *

Edge couldn’t recall another time when he’d slept so deeply, for once throwing all his carefully cultivated cautions to the wind and dropping into Sans-level snoring unconsciousness. He would have to be forgiven for it, by himself if no one else. It had been a very long day, time stretching out like taffy and when he woke again it was somehow impossibly late afternoon on the very same day. He would have sworn a week had gone by already if not for the calendar he could barely see through the cracked screen on his phone. 

Edge let his phone-bearing hand drop to the mattress and considered getting out of bed. His magic was starting to stir hungrily with the approaching dinner hour, something would have to be done about that eventually, and the chance of anyone bringing him dinner in bed were nil, not that he would have accepted it. 

When he and Stretch brought the baby back into the house hours ago, Blue had been back downstairs preparing lunch for them all. Canned soup and sandwiches, with a side of chisps, hardly the stuff of legends, but also difficult to mess up. Edge had eaten hungrily, sharing little strands of the soft noodles with Snow. She’d eaten them with adorable messiness that was preserved permanently in the pictures the Swap brothers took with their phones. They’d texted some of the better ones to him and Red, and one was now the background on Edge’s, carefully positioned so that her chubby face was set between the cracks. 

After lunch, Red and Blue offered to watch Snow so that he and Stretch could nap. Whatever protests Edge might have offered were drowned out by Stretch’s fervent agreement and reluctant as he was, Edge allowed it. He was tired, that he couldn’t deny, and tired people made mistakes. Unlikely as it was that such errors might end up with him in a pile of dust in this universe, he quailed at the thought of the baby getting hurt by any exhausted carelessness. 

So sleep it was and despite his brother lewdly waggling his brow bones, sleep was the truth. He and Stretch handed the baby over to their brothers' care and stumbled upstairs, the two of them stripped out of whatever clothes they could reach before falling into the bed together. Edge was certain he was asleep before his head ever landed on the pillow.

Now he rose up on his elbow and looked at his…at Stretch. He was still asleep, curled up in more than his share of the blankets and did not seem as if he would be waking anytime soon. That wasn’t unexpected, his lower HP meant he needed more rest than Edge ever would, whether or not a hungry child was around to interfere with it.

Edge crawled out of the bed cautiously, cursing the lack of bedframe as he was forced to roll awkwardly to the floor rather than immediately stand. Behind him, Stretch made a soft sound of complaint at the loss, a hand sweeping half-heartedly over the sheets in a vague search, but he quickly abandoned pursuit, rolling into the warm spot Edge left behind and settling in with a sigh.

The room was dim, but there was enough light coming in around the curtains for him to see clearly. Edge hesitated for a moment, watching Stretch sleep. The peacefulness on his pretty face, the little lines that formed sometimes between his brow bones eased. More bones peeked through the haphazard covering of the blankets, smooth and pale. He was lovely, and tempting, but Edge resisted, allowing him his rest. Besides, there were things that still needed saying between them and as soon as Edge figured out what they were, he'd get back to it. 

For now, the niggling urge to check on the baby was growing to a full-on need. He gathered up his dirty laundry to wash, then left Stretch to sleep, heading downstairs to check the progress of the babysitters.

The first thing he saw was a sort of wooden chair was now next to the sofa. Instead of a normal seat, this one was padded and there was a harness attached to it that was buckled around Snow, holding her upright. Over the chair arms was a tray that was scattered with what looked like dry cereal and Snow was pinching each round piece between her little fingers one at a time before cramming it happily it into her mouth. It would take forever for her to complete a meal, but he supposed the value of entertainment might outweigh nutrition in this case.

The enjoyment was not only for the baby. Red and Blue were both sitting on the sofa watching her with similar adoring expressions, cute on Blue, disturbing on Red, as rivetted as if it were a new Mettaton Holiday Special. 

Edge made his way downstairs, dirty clothes in hand. “That’s new.”

Blue reluctantly tore his gaze from the baby feeding show. “Yes, the Bun family dropped off their highchair, their youngest doesn’t need it anymore,” Blue beamed. “The families in Snowdin heard about our baby emergency and they’re bringing over supplies!”

That…Edge wasn’t sure what to make of that. In Underfell they would have kept the child’s existence a secret as long as possible even if she hadn’t been stolen from the smoldering remains of the lab. A new child was a weakness to exploit and even their closest allies weren’t necessarily unkind, but there was so little to share. They needed to care for their own families first. 

Red was busily stirring a small bowl of indeterminate goo, no banana this time, it was a bright, horrifying green. He handed it off to Blue and warned, “careful she don’t decorate you with that. she’s still figurin’ out the whole better in than out part.”

“aye aye, captain,” Blue said pertly, saluting with the little spoon. They seemed to have things well in hand and with only a touch of regret, Edge left them to it and headed to the back of the house to the washing machine. He’d surely have plenty of time to feed Snow tonight. 

It was the work of moments to toss his clothing into the wash, adding in the nearby hamper to make it a full load. He had less reason for regret when he came back out to find speckles of mushy green added to Blue’s color scheme. Red, no fool, was in the far corner of the sofa, safely out of the splash zone, unabashedly snickering at Blue’s efforts. For every two bites, Snow cheerfully blew a raspberry with the third, chortling along with Red as Blue sputtered and wiped green goo from his sockets. 

“Perhaps I should have waited to start the laundry,” Edge said with as much apology as he could, struggling to hold back his own amusement. 

"nah, ain’t no point, it’ll be a load every day for a while.” Red sat up, his humor easing, “so, me and blue've been talking ‘bout how things are gonna be around here, and we’re thinkin’ that you should be the one playin’ suzy homemaker." 

Of all things Edge expected to hear from his brother, that was far down on the list, definitely below him starting a career in stand up, but above a marriage announcement, “Me?”

“Yes,” Blue said as firmly as someone wearing a fine coating of what smelled like green beans could, “Since Papy and I already have our sentry jobs, it wouldn't be practical for either of us to stay home."

“and since i can take shortcuts, be easier for me to find some supplemental income,” Red put in. “that leaves you to stay home with the kid during the day. mebbe do a little housework or work on that cookin' you been trying so hard to learn."

Him as a stay-at-home parent, in Underswap. That was what his brother and Blue thought was the most reasonable plan. All his training to be in the guard, wasted, his hard-won skills, his ability to create traps for Humans and the goals here for Human souls weren’t so very different from Underfell. He could be useful here in ways that wouldn’t add to his LV, he could bring his many skills to the Royal Guard here, surely this Alphys would see that. He could do so much to bring G to this household. 

Edge looked at Snow. Her chubby face was painted with splashes of green that were also smeared across her teeth and down her bib. She beamed messily up at him, bright as any story he’d heard about the sun, holding up her arms to him fearlessly, without a single doubt that he would pick her up. She needed a bath and a change of clothes, she was going to be ready for a nap soon, and there would be more laundry to do. Different foods to make for her, playtimes to indulge in, and who knew when her magic would reveal itself. She would need to be taught, there was so much for her to learn. She was so tiny, so vulnerable, she needed someone who could keep her safe from anything.

He unbuckled the harness holding the baby in and lifted her into his arms. "That sounds like a reasonable plan, for now," Edge allowed. 

"Wonderful!" Blue beamed and Snow squealed her own delight, snuggling in and smearing green across Edge’s borrowed shirt. He sighed to himself and pressed a kiss to the top of her little skull. Plenty of laundry, indeed. 

A sudden knock on the door startled them all, a brisk rap before it opened and Papyrus stuck his head inside, followed by the rest of him with Sans at his heels. "Hello! We’re not early for movie night, we’re here to help make popcorn!”

“figure we’re butter together, what’s poppin’…” Whatever horrid pun Sans was about to make trailed off, he and his brother standing inside the door with the various bags in their arms sagging, their sockets a matching set of wide and shocked as they took in the four of them, three skeletons and a baby, who all simply stared back. 

In unison, the Undertale brothers said, "Is that a baby?"

Edge sighed. 

* * *

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

From the first moment his brother chose to lead him through the filthy hallways of the old lab to show him an innocent child, Edge felt as if he weren’t quite aligned with the real world any longer. His memory of taking the baby into his arms and summoning that first attack held almost a dreamlike quality, as did their desperate flight from Hotland to the outskirts of Snowdin. It left him in the unfamiliar position of a memory he both didn’t want to remember but also never wanted to forget. 

In a single moment, his world was twisted and turned upside down, so he supposed in that way it made sense that they ended up in Underswap. 

It was also amusing, in its way, that the first reaction of all of their alternates was so similar to his own: pure doubt of what they were seeing, and the chaos of the Undertale brothers meeting Snow was another memory that wouldn’t be soon forgotten. 

Before he could even agree that yes, their sight was not deceiving them, it was indeed a baby and a skeleton Monster baby at that, the door to the bedroom upstairs opened. Stretch emerged in a loose-limbed shamble, still sleep drowsy and wearing only a sagging pair of boxer shorts. 

He’d barely made it to the landing before Blue said with loud outrage, “Papy! Put some clothes on!! We have guests!”

Stretch all but screeched to a stop and looked down at himself, blinking owlishly as if trying to figure out exactly what part of his wardrobe was unacceptable for company. Edge could only hope that he didn’t choose the boxer shorts and tried to look as if he certainly wasn’t appreciative of the very lovely view of smooth, silky bones.

That was, until he noticed the way Red was smirking as he took his own gander at the scenery. Edge frowned, jabbing an elbow into his brother’s side as he hissed out, “Quit staring!”

Red only rubbed at his ribs unrepentantly. “hey, lil’ window shopping never hurt anyone.” That leer tore Edge between the urge to slap his brother upside the skull or to cover Snow’s little sockets to protect her from such a terrible sight. 

“It’s going to hurt you right in the tailbone!”

“oh, so sorry bro, didn’t know you were the jealous type.”

“I don’t need to be the jealous type to not want to see you drooling on the floor!”

In the midst of their whispered argument, overshadowed by Blue’s shouts, Stretch stood frozen on the landing. He spared a horrified look at them in the living room and all the eye lights staring up at him, then back at himself and wealth of bare bone he was showing. Stretch didn’t say a word, only turned on his heel and went right back into the bedroom. When he emerged again, he was dressed from his socks to the hood pulled over his skull and Edge was again split in his emotions, both mourning the loss and righteously grateful that his brother lost the privilege, too. 

In the meantime, Papyrus took possession of the baby with much the same awkward enthusiasm that Blue had, bouncing her lightly in his arms as he burbled happily, “What a precious, adorable child who was definitely not here the last time we came over! What’s her name?”

“It’s Snow,” Edge told him. It was only then that he remembered he hadn’t yet shared the name with his brother, who groaned loudly, slumping back on the sofa.

“snow? really, bro?” Red complained. “we’re surrounded by the stuff every day and now you want to add it to the roll call? don’t we even get to put it to a vote?”

“I’m trying to protect her from the evils of the world,” Edge told him stiffly, “a name chosen by you would likely qualify.” 

The way his brother’s grin widened should have warned him, if warning was even necessary when it came to Red. “snow kiddin’, bro, here i am just chillin’, and you gotta snowball me like that? i coulda picked an ice name for the little flake—"

“You seem to be under the mistaken impression that I won't hurt you in front of the baby.”

“Let it go, let it go,” Papyrus interrupted brightly. He held the baby up, dangling in his hands in a way that made Edge resist the urge to snatch her away. “It’s a perfect name for her, absolutely! Even if she occasionally gets _ribbed_ about it.”

“yeah, it’s a great name,” Stretch agreed. Within the depths of his hood, his grin was cheekily wide. “if i do say snow myself. and i did.”

At that moment, Snow decided she’d had more than enough of being the center of attention or perhaps she simply had good taste when it came to horrible puns. She let out a loud wail, squirming in Papyrus’s hold as she reached for Edge. He gathered her into his arms, privately grateful to have at least one person on his side when it came to a dislike of awful humor.

Her cries cut through the general chaos, rendering normally loud skeletons fretfully silent and Edge stood, cuddling her close as he tried to coax her hiccoughing sobs to stop. 

“someone’s had too much excitement,” Stretch said. He stood and went over to the pillows that had served as her nest and ended up haphazardly pushed aside to make way for the highchair. He rearranged them and patted a spot right in the middle. “bring her over here, she can have a laydown while we explain the sitch.” 

Edge carried her over, patting her back as she whimpered and clung. “Perhaps I should take her upstairs, instead.”

“nah, sit with her,” Stretch said firmly, “she’ll settle down. better to train ‘em young to sleep through anything, useful skill.”

“Yes, you and my brother make use of it often.”

Despite his worries, Edge settled her into the pillows, following her down to sit next to her on the floor. He gently rubbing her sternum, paying no mind to the greenish bean stains on her pajamas, and very soon, the child calmed, falling asleep with an ease that would make several skeletons he could name envious. 

He sighed, relieved, and turned around, startling to find everyone looking at him. Waiting, Edge realized; he had said he would explain and it seemed Red was more than willing to leave that task to him. Trust Red to stick to the more enjoyable parts of childcare and leave the difficult task of revising the birds and the bees to him. Or in this case, more like beakers and broken ethics. 

This time, he kept the information to the barest details of finding her and taking her from the lab. It was not a story he cared to keep reliving. 

“…and so we brought her here, to keep her safe,” Edge finished. Despite his cursory explanation, the entire time he’d been talking Blue and Papyrus sat in silence, their sockets huge. With every word, they’d crept forward as they listened until both of them were only inches away from him, still listening raptly. 

“You save her,” Blue said, awed, “like a hero from a storybook!”

“Yes!” Papyrus agreed fervently, “A knight. Riding in on your steed—”

Red snorted, “that’s one i ain’t ever been called.”

“—saving the damsel from the evil villain!” Papyrus finished triumphantly. “If only I could have been there with you!”

“And me!” Blue added, starry-eyed, “the Magnificent Sans!”

“And the Great Papyrus!”

“Heroes!” The last was said in unison, both of them striking bold poses with hands on their hips right where they sat. Their glowing triumph was only diminished by sheepish guilt as the baby stirred uneasily at the noise.

“Heroes,” Edge murmured. He didn’t have the soul in him to disabuse them of their fantasy, even if he could somehow persuade them that there was nothing heroic about his so-called rescue, not in the slightest. He glanced back at the baby, watching the soft rise and fall of her chest as she slept peacefully. No, not heroic, only this small glimmer of goodness stolen from the depths of misfortune. 

“so what are the odds of anyone popping through a portal to come looking for the little princess?”

They all turned to look at Sans, who was leaning against the sofa arm, his hands tucked into his pockets. He was the only one who’d made no attempt to hold the baby, Edge realized. Even now he kept back in that half-hidden way he had where one didn’t quite notice he was even missing until he spoke, his normal easygoing smile tightened into a near-grimace.

There was a question buried in there, but Edge wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up, entirely too busy deciding how to field the one he’d just been asked. 

His brother chose that as his moment to finally speak up. “chances of that happenin’ ‘s at about zero, sansy. no new visitors are gonna stop by from our little slice of the universe.”

“you sure about that?” Sans said. His tone was light, almost teasing. The brief strobe of his eye light into a blur of blue/yellow, anything but.

“yep,” Red popped the ‘p’ loudly, “real fucking sure. now, how’s about we get to work on that movie before the abominable snow monster wakes up?”

Papyrus and Blue scrambled to their feet and headed for the kitchen, speaking in hushed tones that were really only just below a shout about popcorn and snacks and dashing deeds. 

Edge stayed where he was next to the child and fought the urge to look at Sans. He could feel the weight of his gaze resting heavily on him, right up until his line of sight was broken by Stretch crouching down next to him. 

“you want me to bring you some popcorn?” Stretch grinned ruefully, “figured you might want to sit next to the snowflake for this.”

“Yes, thank you,” Edge said, surprised. It was hardly necessary, he could certainly manage the two minutes required to go to the kitchen himself for a bowlful. He could, except for the fact that Sans’s question sent an uncomfortable trill crawling up his spine. Ridiculous, his brother was right, it was impossible for anyone to come from Underfell now, the machine was the only way, there was no other path. 

Utterly ridiculous, and yet, Edge wanted to stay close to the baby all the same. 

Stretch hadn’t yet move. “hey, edgelord,” Stretch leaned in, whispering right next to his audial canal. “i know you don’t think much of it, but i’m tellin’ you, they had the right of it, hero.”

“I’m not a hero,” Edge said, softly. He’d only done what any person whose soul wasn’t hardened to stone would, likely what his brother intended all along. It was only incidental that he’d been the one doing it, a combination of circumstance and luck. 

“you are to her. and me.” Stretch stood quickly without giving Edge a chance to protest, faint orange dusting across his cheekbones as he headed for the kitchen where the rattle of popcorn was beginning. Next to him the child stirred, murmuring softly in her sleep. Edge reached over to settle a gentle hand on her, crooning wordless soothing. She didn’t wake, only took two of his fingers into a surprisingly strong grip and held on. 

How was it, he wondered distantly, that her tiny grip transferred so easily to his soul, squeezing with gentle warmth around it right in his ribcage and holding on tight.

* * *

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

It wasn’t particularly late, especially for a movie night, but Edge was already in bed, lying on the same mattress on the floor that he’d slept in the night before. In the corner of the room was a dresser drawer lovingly lined with blankets, but otherwise empty. Its intended occupant was on the mattress where she was not supposed to be, carefully tucked between the wall and Edge. 

Snow was lying on her back in a sprawl, her little hands lying next to her skull and fingers curled into loose fists. Her knees were drawn up, the socks sewn onto her pajama bottoms concealing and protecting her tiny feet. Her sockets were closed, her mouth working occasionally, dreaming of tomorrow’s bottle. Once, she startled, all her limbs going stretched and stiff. She settled back with a sigh when Edge reached over to lay a hand on her ribcage. Sleeping soundly, which was exactly what Edge was supposed to be doing. 

Before he and Stretch took Snow upstairs to bed, they and their brothers came to a tentative agreement. For him and Stretch, if the child woke at night then only one of them would get up at a time to give the other a chance to sleep. Red would take her for a few hours in the morning, at least until he found work, and Blue would watch her in the afternoon for an hour or two after his work and training. Out of all of them, Blue had the most rigid schedule and despite his disappointment, he reluctantly agreed it was for the best. 

Right now was supposed to be Edge’s chance to sleep, the next feeding would go to Stretch. Despite his exhaustion, his body didn’t seem to have gotten the message. It was far more accustomed to staying up until the wee hours of the morning, then snatching a few hours of sleep before heading out to check the trapline around Snowdin. The best he could do was resist the urge to shift restlessly to keep from waking Stretch. 

At least his bed companion wasn’t having any issues, not that it was particularly surprising. Stretch had never met a nap he didn’t like, and he was out cold, sprawled out on the mattress behind Edge in a pose that was amusingly similar to Snow’s. 

It was strange. He’d never really slept with Stretch simply to sleep. Always before it had been preluded by some kind of sex act and even if he felt up to indulging, which he decidedly did not, he wasn’t about to allow any shenanigans in the same bed as a sleeping child. 

Stretch never said a word when Edge laid the baby on the side of the bed where she’d ended up sleeping the night before. He’d only shook his head and said, “gonna let me stay on the mattress this time? i’m still a little _floored_ from last night’s sleeping arrangement.”

Nothing else, not even a little sly flirting. He’d crawled into the bed next to Edge, slung an arm around him, and quickly fallen asleep. Edge wasn’t sure what to think about that. That afternoon, he’d said that this wasn’t about debts or fucking, but he supposed he’d still been expecting…he wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting—

_(maybe let me love you, too? just a little?)_

\--but now was not the time to figure it out. He closed his sockets and firmly told himself that he needed to sleep. Right now.

He lay there, practically feeling the minutes ticking by and with a quiet sigh, he opened his sockets again irritably. The baby hadn’t stirred, utterly unmoved by his inner turmoil. One should admire the ability to ignore unnecessary distractions, certainly his brother would, and behind his wry jealousy came the sudden, ridiculous urge to wake her. 

Not out of petty spite, never, it was his simple desire to see her awake, smiling and happy as she raised her hands to him so that he could hold her as long as he liked, something he had yet to manage.

That evening, she’d woken halfway through the movie, some ridiculous heist flick that Edge mostly ignored in favor of watching Snow breathing, a far more interesting sight in his opinion. Until she woke, that was, and then she spent her time being passed from lap to lap, only returning to him when the Tale brothers left for home and by then she’d been yawning again, ready for a hopefully longer sleep that night.

Only Sans hadn’t held her. Edge saw his expression when Papyrus offered their home if they ever wanted another universe to try. It wasn’t obvious, only a twitch of his socket, a slight tightening of his jaw. Edge didn’t ask, he wasn’t about to press Snow on anyone. He’d declined Papyrus’s offer with the excuse that he didn’t want to try bringing her through the machine portal again anytime soon, and Papyrus accepted that readily despite his obvious disappointment. 

Snow had drowsed off before the door even closed behind them and Edge couldn’t help being disappointed that he’d spent so little time with her. He’d have plenty of opportunity to see her awake, he reminded himself. Tomorrow the Swap brothers would be returning to their duties and his brother would be going out to search for his version of gainful employment. He’d be spending plenty of time alone with her and the idea was both thrilling and intimidating. For all that he wanted to care for her, it would be their first time together without Red or Stretch lingering close by. What would he do if something went wrong? If she were hurt or she began to cry and refused to be soothed, what if she choked or—

“you’re supposed to be sleeping.”

Edge did not flinch, but it was a close thing. He hadn’t even noticed Stretch waking. “I’m resting.”

“uh huh.” Stretch rolled over and snugged up behind Edge, dragging the blankets closer around them both. Despite the bareness of their bones, his embrace was more soothing than sexual, his thumb gently rubbing Edge’s spine between his shoulders where stress gathered. “s’ok edgelord, her new car smell will wear off eventually.” 

“She doesn’t smell like a car,” Edge said, offended. She smelled like a combination of milky-sweet and clean lavender soap, as a child should. 

“i didn’t…nevermind,” Stretch chuckled and pressed a light kiss against the back of Edge’s skull. "scared she's gonna disappear if you stop looking at her?"

"Yes."

It was the wrong thing to say. Stretch was teasing, the question an easy, shallow one. His answer should have been the same, not pulled from the deepest quagmire of his soul. 

Behind him, Stretch went briefly still, then his arm around Edge tightened almost to the point of pain. His own version of making sure no one disappeared, perhaps, that if he held on tightly enough Edge would stay. Unnecessary, Edge had no intention of going any further than the kitchen for a warm bottle. He said nothing, only leaned back into that embrace, guiltily indulging in its warmth as he kept his gaze on the peacefully sleeping baby who knew nothing of the upheaval she’d caused. 

"she's not going anywhere," Stretch said. There was an unexpected fierceness in his words, whispered low against the side of Edge’s skull, his breath gusting down lightly over Edge’s cracked socket. "you and me? we aren't letting her go, not for anything, you get me?"

Edge closed his sockets. Tried not to let the sudden surge of emotion deep in his chest work its way loose to rattle away in any of the rest of his bones. He didn’t want to wake the baby. "Yes."

"do you?" Stretch persisted, "i'm being really real here, i won't let anything happen to her, okay? i promise you."

The intensity of that promise settled a lingering uneasiness in his soul, one that had stirred to new life at Sans’s question about Underfell; Stretch was not one to break a promise and despite his lazy nature, Edge trusted him to keep his word. It wasn’t only him and Red who would stand for her, Stretch would keep her safe at any cost. That was something Edge could believe in.

“Thank you,” Edge said quietly.

“heh, told you before, you don’t have to thank me for this. you still don’t.”

Edge said nothing. Stretch was correct, but not in the way he thought. There was no gratitude that would be enough for what he’d offered, no polite social contract could compensate for what was priceless. His was a debt that would never be paid and yet, somehow, that bothered him less than it would have only a day ago. 

Edge sighed and let himself relax back into Stretch’s arms, letting the dual sound of those breathing around him lull him to sleep.

* * *

tbc


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

“All right, child, we need to come to an understanding,” Edge said firmly, hands on his hips. He was standing over Snow, who was in her highchair, sucking vigorously on her fingers and looking up at him with wide eye lights. They were alone in the Swap brothers’ kitchen in the late morning, all the others having consumed breakfast and gone off to the respective jobs or job searches as the case may be. Blue made a hearty breakfast of eggs and sausages, and if grape jelly wasn’t Edge’s preferred seasoning for sunny side up yolks, he certainly wasn’t about to start his tenure here by complaining about the food. 

Tomorrow he would get up earlier to make breakfast, Edge told himself. He’d been here for two nights now, he needed to begin adjusting to his new sleep schedule and stop lying about in bed. Today he would be implementing some changes and as former Captain of the Snowdin guard, it was up to him to maintain order. He could do this and now was the time to begin.

“Today I start on my duties as your caretaker and also homemaker,” Edge announced to his audience of one. “I am going to wash the breakfast dishes now. You,” he pointed a finger at Snow and she tried to focus on the sharpened tip, her large eye lights crossing, “will remain there until I am finished. You have your cereal and toys, keep yourself busy and I will be finished soon."

With that, Edge gave her a last nod and turned towards the sink. Before he could even stick his hands into the soapy water, Snow let out a wail.

He hunched down as if struck by a blow and turned back towards her. “No,” he said sternly. “I can’t carry you all day, I have chores to do. You have food and toys, you can entertain yourself.”

Unfortunately, Snow was not at all receptive to his perfectly sound reasoning. Large tears were rolling down her plump cheekbones and she batted away the little bowl of cereal. It fell off the tray to the floor, scattering tiny ‘o’s across the linoleum. Both her upraised arms reached for him as she bawled loudly and Edge, who once walked home on a broken ankle without so much as limping to keep the weakness concealed, folded like a paper sack in a rainstorm.

He pulled the tray loose, scattering more cereal bits, and swept her into his arms, patting her back as he crooned, “All right, shhhh, it’s all right, little one. It’s all right.”

The tears dried up with suspicious ease and soon Snow was chortling happily again. Any move towards putting her in the chair made those joyful sounds melt away and Edge was forced to settle her into his lap as he sat on the floor to clean up the newest mess. Between the two of them, they picked up most of the fallen cereal with entirely too much of it ending up in Snow’s mouth before he could stop her.

“I suppose we should be grateful Blue keeps his floor clean,” Edge sighed.

“Brzzt,” Snow replied as she chewed happily on another filched floor treat.

It became an endless cycle. He would attempt to set her down, the child would cry, and Edge would cave and quickly pick her back up. The dishes sat in the sink untouched, the dregs of jelly and eggs drying into crusts while Edge could do nothing to prevent it.

It was hours later when Snow finally started drooping, her little sockets growing heavy. Edge sat with her in the recliner and rocked her to sleep, and then with the same care one might use while handling a volatile soufflé, Edge eased her into her little pillow pile and sighed in relief. If she kept true to her schedule, she’d sleep for at least an hour and that would give him enough time to wash the dishes, perhaps fold yesterday’s laundry and—

The front door flew open hard enough to crash into the other wall as Stretch came in, dusted with snow and his cheekbones flushed bright orange from the cold as he sang out, “lunchtime! what’s shakin’, bacon, got anything cookin’, good lookin’?””

He’d barely finished his verbal abuse of pork products and cookery before Snow began to wail.

“I just got her to sleep! Why would you—!“ Edge realized he was wailing at nearly the same volume as the baby and shut his mouth with a hard click, gritting his teeth until he tasted dust.

“whoopsie, sorry, sugar butt!” Stretch only laughed and Edge reminded himself that dusting was not considered a suitable punishment in Underswap, even for a crime so heinous as this one. Stretch kicked off his shoes and walked over to scoop her up, snuggling her until her cries dimmed down into tired hiccoughs. “didn’t mean to bust in on naptime.” He cocked a brow bone at Edge, who only slumped down and glared back. “must’ve been a rough morning sitting on the sofa the whole time, huh? lazing around ain’t exactly your modus operandi.”

“Lazing!” Edge sputtered. He shot to his feet and managed to lower his voice just in time as Stretch hissed a warning. “I have not been sitting on the sofa! I have been trying to get some housework done, but Snow keeps crying if I’m not holding her! I’ve yet to do the morning dishes, there’s laundry waiting to be folded. I’d planned to make lunch for you all and all I have to offer is you floor cereal!” He took a deep breath, ashamed of how close it sounded to a sob and swung away from Stretch, facing the wall and admitting to the blank drywall, “I don’t think I can do this.”

“woah, hang on,” Stretch said behind him. “pull back on the reins for a sec. edge, this is your first day at this, okay? bet you didn’t learn all your puzzles in one day.”

“Puzzles are complex tools that take weeks of planning, she is one child!”

“kids are plenty complex, edgelord, until you figure out how they work.” He sidled up next to Edge and slung an arm around his shoulders, giving him a gentle shake. “you know, letting her cry a bit isn’t gonna hurt her. if she’s clean and fed, she can take sitting on the floor for a little while.”

“No,” Edge said decisively. “I will not allow her to think her cries are going unheard, she’s not sobbing into a void in my presence.” When he turned to look at Stretch, he saw the other skeleton was giving him a strange little smile. “What?”

He only shook his head, sighing out, “oh, you got it bad already.”

“Got it? Got what, I can’t be sick,” Edge said, and already panic was starting to swell. “If I’m sick, I’ve been holding the baby all day, she could be ill as well!”

“nah, edgelord, calm down,” Stretch chuckled, “it ain’t contagious, well, not like that, and even if it was, it wouldn’t hurt anybody.” That crooked little smile widened. “think we’re all developing a serious case of superfluous adoptive parentalitis.”

It took entirely too long for Edge’s weary mind to puzzle that out and when he did, he could only sigh in exasperation. “You aren’t helping.” 

“never said i was, but don’t you worry, edgelord, i got tricks up my sleeves that amateur houdinis only wish they knew. hang on.” 

He went into the other room, still cradling the drowsy baby, and came back with Edge’s scarf, embarrassingly wrinkled from its overstay in the dryer. Edge watched in confusion as Stretch knotted the ends together, then tied it across Edge’s chest into a sort of sling.

“okay, snowflake, in we go.” Deftly, he slipped the baby into the scarf before Edge could protest. He nearly panicked, expecting the baby to come crashing out to the floor. Instead, her little bottom settled snugly into the pocket it created, her short legs spread on either side of his ribcage. She snuggled in contently, yawning widely as she cuddled in against his sternum, and drifted almost immediately to sleep. 

“see?” Stretch said softly. “she doesn’t want your arms, she only wants to be close, and now your hands are free. well, kinda, she’ll probably keep ‘em pretty full one way or another.” He smiled wryly, tucking his own hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels. “i’d tell you to let the housework go, but i’m pretty sure i’d be wasting my breath.”

“Other houseparents manage,” Edge said, firmly, “I will, too!”

“oh yeah?” Stretch countered, “other houseparents manage with no help at all, huh. how many other houseparents do you know?”

“I know enough.”

Stretch crossed his arms over his chest. “name three.”

Edge floundered, unprepared for the sudden quiz, “Um...the Cleavers, the Cunninghams—"

“from tv doesn’t count.”

Years of experience taught Edge when it was time to abandon a strategy. “That doesn’t matter. Other households don’t matter. I will manage this!”

“uh huh.” Edge was too startled to flinch when Stretch reached up and gently took hold of his face with both hands, his slim fingers still chilly from the cold outdoors. “remember what i said about not slapping away any helping hands.”

“You did help,” Edge admitted grudgingly. He tugged the scarf a little more securely around Snow. The baby didn’t stir, only slept on peacefully. “This was a good idea.”

“gonna help more, too,” Stretch said cheerily, dropping his hands and pitching his voice low, “you head over to the breakfast dishes and i’ll get lunch on track, yeah?”

“But—”

“i didn’t starve before you got here, edgelord, i can make sandwiches.”

It was the truth, Edge knew it was, and yet it still didn’t sit well. The bargain was that he would stay home instead of earning G, he should be able to do this, how could one tiny baby take up so much time and energy…that thought was abruptly derailed and Edge nearly jumped out of his clothes as Stretch gave him a little slap on the backside before strolling towards the kitchen. Retaliation wasn’t possible while he was holding the child, but Edge made a mental note to add this transgression to his tally as he followed after him. 

The urge for any revenge reluctantly vanished when Stretch suddenly swung around and leaned in to drop a soft kiss on top of Snow’s skull. It was enough of a distraction that he couldn’t react when that quick kiss was transferred to his own mouth. Stretch didn’t linger to watch Edge gape at him, only headed to the refrigerator and began scrounging through it, leaning in to survey the contents. 

“hmm, we got some leftover chicken, how about some chicken salad—eep!” Stretch whirled around on a yelp, rubbing his backside as he stared in disbelief at Edge, who was already making his way to the sink and the dishes. 

“What was that?” Edge asked coolly. “Something about playing chicken?”

That sudden grin should have been worrisome, but Edge only felt a trill of anticipation as Stretch said with dark, deep intent, “oh, don’t you worry, honey, i can play. but first, lunch.” 

Yes, lunch, that was in order. As Edge washed the dishes, the baby sleeping warmly against his chest and the plates clinking softly in the soapy water, he considered what sort of games Stretch might have in mind. Once he got a handle on this parenting strategy, he might switch his focus to the puzzle of Stretch. It would have to wait, for now, because when he began, Edge was certain it was a mystery that would require his full attention.

* * *

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

For a first day, all Edge had to say about it was that it could have gone worse. 

He’d spent most of his day with Snow bound to him like squirmy little wormy, but there was no arguing that it worked. With a bit of experimenting, he found that he could have her facing outward while still being tied securely against him. She’d liked that quite a bit and the only downside was having her tiny hands trying to assist in any of his tasks at hand. He could only hope Blue didn’t notice that the towels in the bathroom cupboard were folded somewhat…uniquely. 

Not that there was any time for that when Blue came home from sentry duty. He’d barely taken off his boots and jacket before swarming over to steal Snow away. Edge wasn’t even entirely sure how Blue slipped her so neatly out of her sling, unless Stretch wasn’t the only family member who could bend the laws of physics. 

“Aww, there’s a little wishbone!” Blue cooed. He swung her around as if he were about to make that nickname a truth. Edge only bit his tongue and said nothing. Snow was by no means hurt and Blue was already settling her on his hip as he bounced her gently.

Snow was somewhat doubtful over her new mode of conveyance. She looked at Edge, who tried to smile encouragingly. He was afraid that it was not one of his best efforts, but then, she was a baby, perhaps she didn’t yet know the difference between a smile and a grimace. 

“I bet you’ve been cooped up all day, Edge,” Blue said happily, “Why don’t you go out and get some fresh air and I’ll look after our little Snow Monster?”

A little fresh air did sound nice. He was more accustomed to spending most his day outdoors, walking his traplines, not trapped behind four walls. 

Still, Edge hesitated. “Well. I suppose I could go out for an hour.”

“That’s the spirit!” Blue said. He plopped down on the sofa, Snow in his lap. “Go out, meet some people! I, Master Babysitter Sans, will watch Snow for you!”

Well, meeting people was out of the question, Edge wasn’t about to enroll in a popularity contest on his first day, but there was at least one thing he wanted to do. “There are some bottles pre-made in the refrigerator. She likes it if you hold her outward so she can see. If she—" 

“Edge,” Blue interrupted with gentle patience. “I’ve got this.”

“All right,” Edge still didn’t move. It was only when Snow began to tentatively explore Blue’s face with her little hands that he retrieved his boots. By the time he had them buckled, Snow was trying with some enthusiasm to poke her little fists into Blue’s wide eye sockets, something he was laughingly avoiding. It was ridiculous to linger any longer and Edge only took a last chance to say before he went out the front door, “I’ll be back soon.”

The moment the door closed behind him, he could hear a muffled wail coming right through it. He hunched down and struggled against the urge to go right back inside. 

Stretch and his brother were right, he shouldn’t be the only one to care for her. Blue would simply have to learn the same way he was, the hard way. He wouldn’t be gone long, and she was perfectly safe, warm and dry, well-fed and well-cuddled.

So, despite his soul threatening to crack right in half listening to those bereft wails, Edge forced himself to turn away, boots crunching in the snow as he walked out of earshot.

It took him a moment to orient himself to the backwards layout of Underswap, but once he did, Edge headed off in the direction of the librarby. Despite his brother’s scoffing, a book on childrearing would surely turn out to be useful. Red certainly hadn’t been bitching about the worthlessness of booklearning when Edge found one full of recipes back in Underfell and began using it instead of relying on Undyne’s vigorous but dubious technique. 

Once he was there, though, he stood in wonderment, briefly forgetting what brought him here in the first place. In Underfell, there was a librarby, well, a lib-arby, one of the ‘r’ had been stolen years ago, and why couldn’t those fools have taken the extra ‘b’ instead?. What few books were in it tended to have pages torn loose and trying to glean any information from them was something like scooping up water with a sieve. Most of the books Edge had—

 _(had, books he’d_ had, _those treasured few books lost to him and never mind that he could recite them all by heart, they were forever gone, probably destroyed)_

\--were scavenged from the dump, days spent carefully drying them out. Perhaps if Red saw this librarby he’d be less doubtful of its usefulness because its shelves were burgeoning with volumes, every shelf filled and more stacked on the tables and front desk, so many books, and he itched to get his claws on every one of them, some underused literacy fragment of his soul woke and cried out for something to _read._

Edge quashed it ruthlessly. He was here for books on childcare, not any of the ridiculous _(wonderful)_ science fiction stories he’d sometimes found. 

There were other Monsters sitting in twos and threes around the room, but aside from a curious glance or two, none seemed concerned about his presence. Edge lifted his chin and walked to the shelves as if he belonged here and began to peruse the selection. A little searching found him not one, but two books, one for new parents and another for the toddler years. He took them both, better to be prepared, and as he turned from the shelf, another book caught his eye. 

A slender book titled ‘Pattycake with Pokey Puppy’. Obviously a child’s book and looking at the brightly painted cover suffused him with a sudden wave of nostalgia, a memory of curling up with his brother beneath a threadbare blanket in one of the back-alleys in New Home. The aching cold and constant gnawing hunger faded as he listened to Red softly read to him about Fluffy Bunny from a tattered old book, the front cover torn and filthy but so much like the one on the shelf. 

Snow was entirely too young to appreciate being read a story. He already had two books, an entire townful of people needed to use this librarby, and it was a town he didn’t even truly belong in. He shouldn’t be greedy, he shouldn’t, and guilt was tight in his throat as he snatched that book up and added it to the other two, carrying all of them up to the front desk. 

If the Bird working at the counter was appalled at his selfishness, they gave no sign of it. By all rights, they should have been looking at him in fear and given him the books in the hopes he would leave quickly. Edge knew very well the reactions that his appearance could cause, cultivated it in Underfell, and never let the way other Monsters cringed away bother him. If they were afraid of him, they would obey him, and their lives were more important than any petty wish to be admired. 

Dressed as he was in one of Stretch’s rumpled sweatshirts, complete with formula stains and crushed up bits of cereal ground into the front, it seemed his threat level had decreased all the way down to acceptable Underswap levels. The Bird only smiled and stamped his books before handing them back over. He supposed the books themselves were also partly to blame for her lack of concern over having him in their quiet little librarby. Anyone checking out ‘Toddler Years: Surviving with your Sanity’ and ‘The Big Book About Little Monsters’ probably wasn’t going to go into a dust-crazed frenzy.

Books in hand, Edge started back to the Swap brothers’ house and he only took two steps in the wrong direction before he sighed and turned around. He’d get the hang of this Snowdin soon enough, at least no one was around to see him stop in his tracks and head back the other way—

“Sir!”

Edge paused warily, turning in the direction of that voice even as he struggled not to ready an attack, just in case. It was easier to dismiss the urge when he saw a young Bun dressed in bright purple stripes running towards him, carrying a large paper sack. 

“Sir!” she panted as she skidded to a stop, kicking up slush and snow. “You’re Papyrus’s friend, aren’t you?”

It took him a moment to realize she was speaking of Stretch. “Yes?” he agreed cautiously. If this were about some sort of debt or prank—

The child only beamed happily and thrust the bag towards him. “My mama found some more baby stuff for you! Said for you to take whatever you need and give back anything you don’t!”

“I…” Edge reached out automatically before he caught himself, hesitating. “I’m afraid I don’t have any G.”

His confusion transferred to the child, “G? Oh, no, mama doesn’t want G! Our baby is walking and talking now, he don’t need it anymore!” 

She thrust the bag into his arms and Edge took it, briefly too overwhelmed to speak. The people of this Snowdin had already been so generous, for them to offer even more was bewildering him past the point of gratitude. It reminded him of Blue who’d so often pressed them to take leftovers after dinner, bullying and cajoling until Edge found himself in his own universe with a bag in hand, so similar to the bag he held now. He didn’t understand it then and didn’t now, didn’t even know how to explain to them that it wasn’t supposed to be this way, not in his experience, not in his world.

But this wasn’t his world, was it. 

The child was still standing in front of him, her hands clasped behind her back as she bounced on her toes. “Can I come see the baby sometime?” she asked hopefully. “Papyrus said she’s really cute!”

“She is.” Edge managed, trying to recover enough from his confusion to at least keep from acting like an ungrateful fool. He pulled out his phone and held it out for the child to see the background picture of Snow and her attempts to eat noodles. Even with the cracked screen, she was obviously as adorable as advertised and from the way the child cooed happily, she very much agreed.

“Aww, she’s so cute! I can’t wait to meet her!” A faint voice cut through the stillness, a name being called from one of the nearby homes, and the child looked in that direction briefly before turning back to Edge. “You should ask Papyrus to fix your phone, he’s real good at that stuff. I gotta go. Bye!”

He kept a close watch on the child to make sure she made it back to her home all right before turning back to his own path, bag in one hand and books in the other. Their house was soon in sight and Edge was half-afraid he’d still hear wails coming through the door. 

But there was only the silently twinkling Gyftmas lights and Edge stifled his near-disappointment and headed inside. 

Blue and Snow were on the sofa where she was currently squealing happily as she bounced on Blue’s knee and truly, Edge should be above his brief surge of triumph when he noted that Blue seemed more than a trifle weary. There was an empty bowl and a mostly empty bottle on the side table, proof that Snow’s appetite hadn’t diminished in the slightest. Blue’s scarf had a damp spot on it as if an infant chose to use it as their next gnawing target, and there was a smeary handprint right on his cheekbone that looked suspiciously like smashed peas, the green trail of it leading downward and freckled across the front of his shirt.

The baby looked over as he walked inside, and the moment she caught sight of Edge, her chortling glee faded. In an instant, her sparkling eye lights switched to a waterfall of tears and she began to squall, holding out both little arms to him. 

Edge hastily deposited the bag and books on the coffee table and took her, cuddling her close until those tears faded again into happy giggles. 

Blue only sagged back on the sofa, slinging an arm over his eye sockets as he groaned out, “How can someone so small be so tiring? You were only gone an hour and I’ve gone from magnificent to mediocre!”

“I’ve been wondering that myself,” Edge admitted. He snagged his scarf with his free hand, readying Snow to return to her beloved binding. He noted Blue watching intently with approval. Not that he ever thought Blue wouldn’t take his duties seriously, but it was good to have it confirmed. 

“Well! I need to get off to Alphys’s,” Blues struggled to his feet, chuckling as he shook his head. “I never expected to see the day I’d consider training to be the less exhausting option. Papy should be home soon.”

“I have her, go,” Edge said, “but…you may want to wash your face first.”

One gloved hand flew up to Blue’s cheekbone. Pity it was the wrong one, “What? Why?” 

“Better that you just go wash.”

Blue dashed for the stairs and Edge sat down in his place on the sofa, adjusting the sling so that Snow was comfortable against him. He reached for the first book, hesitating over the one on caring for an infant. His hand detoured instead to ‘Pattycake with Pokey Puppy’, flipping to the first page as Snow, already sucking on her fingers, looked up at him with large eye lights.

“I’m going to read you a story, little one,” Edge told her, “I think you’ll like it. I hope you will.” He began to read, “One little puppy, sitting by a fence—”

He was quite sure Snow couldn’t really understand him, but she still seemed to listen contentedly as he read. She snuggled deeper into his scarf and his arms, and didn’t react at all when Blue’s voice carried downstairs in a wail, “How did she even get it all the way in there…?”

Edge didn’t ask. He only kept reading to Snow about the adventures in patty cake for a poky puppy and his friends. He hoped she didn’t fall asleep too quickly. He wanted to see how it ended.

* * *

tbc


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Back in Underfell at the end of their day, Edge and Red would return to their home in Snowdin. Barring any incidents, they’d have dinner together and then watch Mettaton, Red slumped down on the sofa and Edge sometimes folding his own laundry as folding his brother’s was a waste of both time and principles. They didn’t often chat, not the way the other sibling pairs did, though they might possibly share a few barbed insults that Edge was well aware passed for affection between them. Perhaps that would have appalled the other universes, though he suspected Sans would find the ritual amusing.

Here in Underswap, the evening television show seemed to have been temporarily passed over in favor of watching a child and Edge was already quite sure which viewing option he preferred. 

The child in question was currently ignoring them in favor of her own feet. In the bag of clothing brought to him by the young Bun, there had been a pair of strange colorful slippers that rattled when shook, each one bedecked with bright ribbons and a silly face. Wrangling them onto her kicking feet was well worth it for how adorable she was with them on, lying on her back with both jangling feet in the air.

Edge and Red were sitting on the sofa side by side, watching her with near matching expressions of deep interest, Edge’s leaning towards awe and Red’s more in the realm of a bystander observing some sort of accident.

Snow was very sensibly inspecting her feet with great suspicion. When nothing untoward came from her touching the embroidered eyes or the button nose, she immediately began to navigate them into her mouth to gnaw on, the long ribbons quickly soaked in slobber. 

"Did you see how quickly she did that? She’s brilliant," Edge announced. 

"eh,” Red slouched back on the sofa, “she’s workin' on self-cannibalism, don’t think that’s mensa level work.”

Edge swung around to glare furiously at him and Red raised both hands defensively as he scooted back against the sofa arm. "okay, okay, you got me, the kid is a regular alberta einstein."

Slightly mollified, Edge replied, “Intelligence aside, I’m hoping they’ll keep her entertained long enough for me to make dinner.” There was another point of consideration, one he hadn’t been able to bring up when his brother first came in during the beginning of the slipper battle. “How was your search for employment?”

Red shrugged. “not bad, considerin’ i already got a job.”

“Did you?” Edge asked suspiciously. Not that he doubted his brother; for all his lazy ways, he’d always supported them to the best of his ability. No, his doubts were not for his brother’s work ethic, but for what sort of job he’d found so quickly in Underswap. Surely this universe had a seedier underbelly buried somewhere beneath its softer exterior, and while that had been acceptable in Underfell, he wouldn’t risk any of that finding its way back to the Swap brothers’ home and Snow. 

“sure did, doubting thomas. lucky i don’t shun non-believers.” Red pulled his feet up on the sofa and deliberately-by-accident gave Edge a kick in the hip. “makin’ deliveries for muffet to hotland.”

Appalled, Edge swung around to face his brother, demanding, “You told her about your shortcuts?”

“nah, ‘course not. two days here and you think i’m forgettin’ shit?” Some of his brother’s ease sharpened nearly to offense, and Edge shook his head in silent apology, letting the profanity go this time. Red relaxed again and added, “she thinks i’m hitting up the riverperson. what she don’t know won’t hurt ‘er.”

“Be careful.” 

Hardly a necessary admonishment, but habits were hard to break. Proven as Red drawled out slyly, “don’t worry, boss, i ain’t gonna get soft in marshmallow world.”

Edge sighed but did not protest the nickname. “I’m going to go make dinner.”

He kept a wary eye on Snow as he discreetly inched to the kitchen, but she was fully engrossed by the slippers and when he finally crept inside, no anguished wails followed him. 

Good enough. He opened the refrigerator, trying not to marvel at the overflowing contents, and got to work. 

An hour later, Stretch came home with less fanfare than lunchtime. By then, the allure of the slippers had faded and Snow was once again snuggled against Edge in her sling, turned inward this time to keep her little hands from attempting to explore the hot pans. 

He wandered into the kitchen and it did not escape Edge’s notice that he looked weary, even as he tried to hide it beneath what Stretch surely thought was a rakish grin. He sidled up behind Edge to press the lanky length of his body against him from chest to hips, resting his chin on Edge’s shoulder.

“hey, sexy mama—” Stretch began.

Edge kept his attention on stirring. “No.”

“sexy daddy?”

“Absolutely not.”

“okay, i hear you loud and clear,” Stretch drew back, pointing two finger guns at him and winking as he whispered, “sexy babe.”

“Still not appreciated, but acceptable.”

“awesome, it’s good to establish boundaries.” Something that the light kiss he pressed against the nape of Edge’s neck promptly stomped over. He didn’t linger long enough for Edge to squirm away, only peered over Edge’s shoulder again at the bubbling pots. “looks good.”

“I hope it tastes good as well.” Mushroom stroganoff was not a particularly ambitious dish, but it was fairly simple, and the ingredients weren’t too extravagant. He’d memorized that recipe some time ago and often made it for his brother and himself. Doubling it had been easy enough and he could only hope Blue didn’t mind him using up precious resources. He’d cheerfully told Edge to help himself to the kitchen, but he didn’t want to unintentionally stumble over any limits. He was quite sure Red would be crashing through enough for them both. 

Stretch leaned down to give Snow a razzing kiss on her chubby cheekbone, earning his own squeal of delight and barely dodging the little hand that grabbed for his eye socket. “well, when you’re done getting your martha stewart on, hand the snow princess over to your bro and come on upstairs.”

“But dinner…” Edge protested even as the wooden spoon was plucked from his hands and set on the holder.

“needs to simmer for a while yet,” Stretch said, steering him out the door into the living room, his hands mostly chaste on Edge’s hips though one pinkie was venturing into dangerous territory, “and this won’t take five minutes.”

From the sofa, Red did not look up from the Napstaton show. “kinda quick on the draw, then, eh, honey bun?”

Edge took a detour to slap him on the back of the skull before handing Snow over. “Keep your comments on my sex life to yourself and watch the baby for a moment.”

“better too quick on the draw than empty in the sack,” Stretch said cheerfully and easily dodged his own head slap. 

Red easily thwarted Snow’s uncertainty about the handoff by making a ridiculous face and her burbling chuckles followed them up the stairs to Stretch’s—

_(their? Could he call it their?)_

\--room. Inside, there was a bag sitting on the bed, not the sort of crumpled paper sack brought by the Buns but a proper bag with ribbon handles and some sort of brand symbol on the side. 

“g’wan, have a look.” Stretch was trying to hold onto his normal careless façade, but he was bouncing a little on his toes, both hands gripped behind his back like a child and obviously very pleased with himself.

With an equal measure of caution and curiosity, Edge did as he was told, fully expecting more baby supplies, and could only blink in surprise when he found several pairs of pants and shirts in his own size. Most of it was plain black with occasional ventures into red, but there was also a t-shirt with ‘bad ass dude’ scrawled across it in large red letters. Not exactly the same as he’d left back home— 

_(no, not home, not any longer)_

\--but seeing it made his soul spasm in his chest. That wasn’t all, there were also basic necessities like socks and gloves, and at the very bottom was an apron, not adorably frilly like the one in the kitchen, but a sturdy, chef’s style one with pockets for utensils. 

Stretch wandered over to flop on the mattress, poking at the pile of clothes with an idle finger. “figured you were getting a little tired walking around looking like my stunt double, so i got you some new threads.”

“I can’t accept these.”

Stretch’s smile froze, twisting instead to confusion. “what?”

“I can’t accept these,” Edge repeated, doggedly, trying to force his greedy hands to reluctantly loosen their grip. “I’m already in your debt, I can’t accept this sort of charity.”

“oh, is that the problem?” Stretch yawned with deliberate nonchalance, rolling over on his back to sprawl out and normally the sight would be a tempting one. Not now, not with the churning uneasiness inside him. “nah, see, this isn’t charity, this is payment!”

“Payment for what?” Edge asked warily. His eyes flicked unwillingly towards the mattress.

“not for that, fuck!” Stretch sat up hastily, all his unsubtle charm turned aghast. He blew out a sharp breath, rubbing his face with both hands. “not cool, don’t even joke about that. c’mon, you did the laundry today, right?” 

“Such as it was, considering Snow caused most of it—”

“uh huh, and you’re cooking dinner?”

“That’s hardly worth what this must have cost you.” But already the tightness in his chest was loosening. He wasn’t sure if he believed, but he wanted to, so much, wanted something of his own here that wasn’t begged or borrowed. 

“consider it an advance,” Stretch said. He reached over and gave the hood of Edge’s borrowed sweatshirt a tug. “besides, maybe i don’t want people mistaking you for me from behind, you ever think of that?”

“I suppose that’s true,” Edge said slowly. He looked down at the clothes again, tracing the letters on the shirt with one bare finger. 

“exactly! this is an investment!” Stretch scrambled to his feet. “if you want to change, i’ll run downstairs and give everything a stir.”

“Stretch.” He paused at the door and Edge didn’t look at him, still holding that soft cotton shirt. “Thank you.”

He didn’t see that little lopsided smile, but he could hear it in Stretch’s voice. “keep telling you, you don’t have to thank me for this shit. but. you’re welcome.” He shortcutted out and left Edge alone with his unexpected earnings. 

He picked up one of the shirts and held it to his face. It smelled of laundry detergent and Edge briefly closed his sockets. Stretch knew how particular he was about cleanliness and everything was freshly washed, not here but somewhere, another mystery that Stretch would either breezily avoid explaining or simply refuse to answer entirely. 

Better to not ask at all and Edge stood up, stripping off the borrowed clothes he was wearing to change into his new ones. It all fitted perfectly, the t-shirt clinging comfortably to his ribcage, not billowing out in the annoying way Stretch’s oversized ones did. The jeans as well, coming to his ankle instead of needing rolled up and he topped it all with the apron before heading back downstairs. 

The tableau on the sofa made him itch for his phone and he mourned he’d left it upstairs. Snow was settled in against Red’s side, his arm around her holding her protectively close. Her large eye lights were focused on the television and despite his misgivings over allowing that sort of entertainment, Edge didn’t pause in front of his brother on his way to the kitchen. He felt his brother’s gaze flick over him and tensed. 

But all Red said was, “nice duds.” There was nothing unspoken beneath it, no warning or admonishment over foolishly accepting gifts that he hadn’t earned. 

Edge nodded curtly, tension easing, and went back to the kitchen to finish cooking dinner. If he was going to wear the clothes, he was damn well going to earn them.

* * *

tbc


End file.
